Poulenc: Piano Concertos & Aubade

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[Lortie and Mercier] perform [the Poulenc] with great panache, also capturing the work's more reflective qualities, with Edward Gardner and the BBC Philharmonic providing by turns zestful and... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2015, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 25th Sep 2015
Catalogue No: CHAN10875
Label: Chandos
Length: 72 minutes

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Poulenc: Concerto, S. 146

Work length20:07

$5.00

$6.45

$8.75

Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic, Louis Lortie
Recorded: 27-30 April 2015
Recording Venue: MediaCityUK, Salford

I. Allegretto

Track length10:05

$3.00

$3.85

$5.25

II. Andante con moto

Track length5:59

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Rondeau à la française

Track length4:03

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Poulenc: Aubade, S. 51

Work length19:38

$7.00

$9.10

$12.25

Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic, Louis Lortie
Recorded: 27-30 April 2015
Recording Venue: MediaCityUK, Salford

I. Toccata. Lento e pesante

Track length2:35

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Récitatif. Les compagnes de Diane. Larghetto

Track length1:42

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Rondeau.Diane et compagnes

Track length3:11

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

IV. Presto. Toilette de Diane

Track length1:24

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

V. Récitatif. Introductoin à la Variation de Diane

Track length2:10

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

VI. Andante. Variation de Diane

Track length3:33

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

VII. Conclusion. Adieux et départ de Diane

Track length5:03

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Poulenc: Concerto, S. 61

Work length19:15

$4.00

$5.20

$7.00

Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic, Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier
Recorded: 27-30 April 2015
Recording Venue: MediaCityUK, Salford

I. Allegro ma non troppo

Track length8:07

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

II. Larghetto

Track length5:22

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Finale

Track length5:46

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Poulenc: Sonata, S. 8

Work length6:03

$3.00

$3.90

$5.25

Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic, Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier
Recorded: 27-30 April 2015
Recording Venue: MediaCityUK, Salford

I. Prélude. Modéré

Track length2:05

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Rustique. Naïf et lent

Track length1:58

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Finale. Très vite

Track length2:00

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Poulenc: Elegie en accords alternes, S. 175

Work length5:28

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic, Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier
Recorded: 27-30 April 2015
Recording Venue: MediaCityUK, Salford

Poulenc: L'Embarquement pour Cythere, S. 150

Work length2:01

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Edward Gardner, BBC Philharmonic, Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier
Recorded: 27-30 April 2015
Recording Venue: MediaCityUK, Salford

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After a successful cycle of Chopin works for solo piano, exclusive Chandos artist Louis Lortie plays here works by Poulenc with his duet partner Hélène Mercier. In Aubade and the two concertos they are joined by Edward Gardner and the BBC Philharmonic.

The French-Canadian pianists draw a persuasive portrait of the melancholic Parisian that Poulenc was: playful and depressed, like his tutor, Erik Satie. There is always a sense of palpable anxiety in these pieces, be it the sarcastic joie de vivre of the 'choreographic concerto' Aubade or the ironic melancholy of the explosive Concerto for Two Pianos – Mozartean and Stravinskyan at the same time. Further examples are the contrasting pair of works for two pianos, in which the evocation of the sound of accordion and smell of fried potatoes in L'Embarquement pour Cythère complement the Élégie which, as Poulenc indicated, should be played with 'a cigar in your mouth and a glass of cognac on the piano'.

Similarly, the dazzling and dissonant Sonata for Piano Duet alternates between passages of charme and others that are féroce and strident. 'Inventing his own folk tunes', as Ravel noted, Poulenc took a decisive step in his musical emancipation with this very 'dissident' work.

Louis Lortie also plays the Piano Concerto, in which the traditional concerto virtues are more obvious: memorable tunes, sparkling orchestration, and a wide range of textures in the piano part.

Reviews

December 2015

[Lortie and Mercier] perform [the Poulenc] with great panache, also capturing the work's more reflective qualities, with Edward Gardner and the BBC Philharmonic providing by turns zestful and sensitive accompaniment

October 2015

the distinct attraction of this performance by Lortie with the BBC Philharmonic under Edward Gardner is the way in which orchestral colour, as well as piano texture, is so clearly defined and zestfully articulated…Lortie is joined by Helene Mercier for cracking performances of the Two-Piano Concerto and the Sonata for four hands, their distinctive acerbities given whiplash emphasis by both pianists…and yet with their more lyrical leanings tenderly voiced.

27th September 2015

Lortie and Mercier never leave one in doubt of their delight in, or idiomatic understanding of, Poulenc’s music; their rapport is complete

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